abused the way it is. they came up with instead a very, very weak answer. harry reid caved into the republicans on this, i hate to say it. sol many democrats were saying this is going to be fine because now, we all agree that you need 60. we didn't get rid of it. they can use it. they don't have to come to the floor and talk at that talk, but it's going to work. it's going to work because republicans have greedp agreed they will filibuster for stuff that's really important. when harry reid and mitch mcconnell agree this is really worth it. damn if, we said at the time this was phony, it was not going to work, it was not going to make any change. republicans were going to abuse it. they would never abide by that agreement. two weeks ago. republicans trotted it out yesterday, put a filibuster on the nomination of chuck hagel to be our next secretary of defense, and they won. you need 60 votes to get over it. and the most they could get with the democrats and four republicans was 58 votes t he lost by one vote. harry reid ended up having to vote no. that way, by voting know he has the

having this debate right now. the deal harry reid cut with mitch mcconnell is coming back to bite them. they could have gone for a lot more. they backed off. they shook hands again and went with something milder and then boom, he gets clowned two mornts later. >> nia malika, i want to be real clear. the filibuster has been around for decades. but its use has exploded in this past few years. in fact, two of the three sessions of congress with the worst filibuster abuse have happened under president obama. so let me just cut to the chase. is the gop's obstruction about policy? or is it just something personal about president obama. >> well, it's probably a little bit of both. it's about policy. it's about this president whose policies they vehemently disagreed with. harry reid had a chance to go for a more full-throated filibuster. but his reasoning was that when the democrats are in the majority -- in the minority and that could happen, this next election, that they want to have that same leverage that republicans have been using with this filibuster reform to block many of the presiden

by demanding the speaker -- actually harry reid from nevada come up with 60 votes to move forward the vote. and senator rand paul put a hold on president obama's pick. joining me now is salon's joan walsh and washington post's dana milbank. they can't beat these people so they're doing this obstructing. they're trying to smear this guy. they know he's going to be secretary of defense. there is absolutely no purpose in what cruz is doing except trying to move he's more obnoxious than neocons are. they're just messing around with the government of the united states, i think. >> they're messing around in a particularly ugly way. i mean, ted cruz, this is ugly stuff, chris. and the good news for marco rubio is he makes rubio look like a statesman. and john mccain god bless him is rising to the occasion. and i haven't had many nice things to say about mccain in the last few years. it is separating out the attack dogs and the really vicious people from the people who are merely obstructionists. anyway, marco rubio missed a big moment last night. it's not about the drink of water. it comes d

vehemently disagreed with. harry reid had a chance to go for a more full-throated filibuster. but his reasoning was that when the democrats are in the majority -- in the minority and that could happen, this next election, that they want to have that same leverage that republicans have been using with this filibuster reform to block many of the president's actions. but this is a real surprise that hagel has essentially been filibusterd. it looks like ult mimately, he will be confirmed. they have been pretty successful in forcing the president's hand to release more information on that. but, ultimately, i think they are giving away some of their standing. they're supposed to be the party of national security, the party of defense in this way by blocking this very important post. i think they're doing some damage -- >> yeah, we're talking about secretary of defense. we're talking about who's going to head the pentagon. and let me tell you this, ryan, tell you how blatantly inconsistent and unprecedented this is. he said in 2005 that presidential nominees shouldn't be filibustered. "i

thoughts on this. i mean, isn't this harry reid's fault? harry had a chance to change the rules of the senate and he was too nice to mitch mcconnell and now look what we've got. there's probably more to come. your thoughts. >> i suppose so, though i remember not very long ago when we were all suffering under the george w. bush administration and there was a real fear that without the filibuster then george bush would have been able to put some of his very radical extremists on the bench and push through more of his agenda. so i understand the reticence to kind of unleash the nuclear option. and you know, i don't think you can necessarily blame harry reid for the unprecedented not just obstructionism but kind of paranoid lunacy of this new crop of senators who, you know, before i think we used to see this sort of incredibly paranoid mccarthyite apocalyptic view of american foreign policy among some of the characters in the house -- >> doesn't that make the case for why harry should have done, this because of the ted cruzes of the world and the tea parties of the world? they're trying to

. ♪ >> can we talk about harry reid's gift? harry reid owns what happened with this fill buster. this is all him. he had the chance. not only did he promise he would do something about it, he had the chance to do something about it on the first day of the senate session. he could have done it with a 51% vote for filibuster reform and he didn't and we paid the price for it. stephanie: i couldn't believe he used the word shocking here. senator harry reid yesterday on the senate floor. >> shocking that my republican colleagues would leave the nation without a fully empowered secretary of defense during all the things we have going on in the world, including a war. stephanie: also shocked to find out there's gambling going on in vegas. >> few leon panetta has to go to the nato summit in brussels. he's like george bailey. he's never getting out of bedford falls. i got big plans. i love her. she's a peach. >> because republicans have a punish a republican for the crime of being right about iraq. stephanie: exactly. this talking voice memo, filibuster will fall shortly nomination blah blah b

right now given that harry reid, the democratic reid democratic leader in the senate is not going along. a vote would be a political victory in a town that doesn't want to do this. the president is being pragmatic and he's not going as far as progressives would like, but if you can get the votes it's more progress than people think he can get right now. >> john: and in fairness to the president, what toes mean that we're going to win an assaults weapon. the president will win even by losing. harry reid almost lost his job to someone wearing a tinfoil hat hat. so i think that harry reid is going to let this die but that's how the president wins. if the president fights a battle that he knows he's doomed to fail god for bid there is a massacre or the next ten massacres he can point his finger right to the people who killed this bill and say you own this. that would be a political win for this president at a bloody cost. >> cenk: your analysis is right. but if he wanted a legislative and policy victory, of course, what he would to is go to fellow democrats as your appointing out and

responsibility, and it's harry reid's job and harry reid and his lieutenants obviously schumer and durbin, are supposed to get that budget done. it's shameful and really should be doing it. they say they're going to do it this time, i wouldn't hold your breath. how do you run a business and your own household if you don't have a budget. how to you set the priorities of senate and congress it's unacceptable. >> you've been at state of the union addresses and you have experience at that level of government. what are the things that if people knew about the senate, what would you want to tell them, that most surprise you in terms of its dysfunction? >> well, the biggest thing that people needed to understand that there's one person and that's the majority leader, harry reid that controls everything, and the scheduling, with a bills are brought up and when he brings up a bill, for example, when he brought up the dream act. he brought it up. we're going to pass it tomorrow. take it or leave it, no amendments, nothing, shuts off the debate and tries to ram things through and spot people

the primary. he won because harry reid went in and spent $2 million attacking him as a conservative during the republican primary. he said himself he has never voted for a tax increase. always been prolife. even supported a balanced budget amendment too conservative for missouri. the object was help nominate the weakest republican candidate possible to have is a chance. >> you are going to set your isself up as a bureau vetting the candidates. i mean -- >> no, no, no. >> the whole theory of republicanism is to let the local state or district decide. >> i think rand paul had it right. everybody has a chance. we believe in markets. let people do go in and partis it pate. the more people who participate the better off we are. the more we examine the quality of the candidates from top to bottom the more likely we end up with fewer kristine o'donnells and more rand pauls. >> chris: what do you make of the republican party decision to block temporarily but to block the nomination of a defense secretary for the first time in our history? >> why odd. they? the end he will probably be confir

go along. in certain respect, the president was speaking to harry reid, the democratic leader as much as he was speaking to mitch mcconnell. >> absolutely he was. and the nra has been kind of close to harry reid. they have not been adversarial to one another for years. and there is the rural culture of firearms in this country. but from what i'm told last night, they're going to try to get as much as they can on this. and the president is all in on this. the democrats are all in on it. it now comes down to the votes. house speaker john boehner was pressed about giving people the votes they deserve on gun safety today. here it is. >> how do we address violence in our society, how do we take meaningful steps to reduce that violence? and as i made clear for weeks, when the senate -- if the senate acts, we'll be happy to take a look at what they do. >> neera, is this a failure of leadership for boehner to just kick it over to the senate, we'll see what they do first? what do you make of that? >> i mean, i don't think americans define leadership by saying things like when the senate a

eventually easily confirmed. today, senate majority leader harry reid knew he did not have the votes to clear the republican procedural hurdle, but scheduled a vote anyway to demonstrate this. >> republicans have made an unfortunate choice to ratchet up the level of destruction here in washington. there's nothing going to change in the next ten days about the qualifications of chuck hagel. i guess to be able to run for the senate as a republican in most places of the country you need to have a resume that says, i helped filibuster one of the president's nominees. believe that helps. believe that keeps a guy from a tea party guy from running against you. >> here's what president obama said just after today's vote. >> the notion that we would see an unprecedented filibuster just about unprecedented, we've never had a secretary of defense filibustered before, there's nothing in the constitution that says that somebody should get 60 votes. there are only a handful of instances in which there's been any kind of filibuster of anybody for a cabinet position in our history. and what seems to

ever ever smiled? he said he has not disclosed more of his income. harry reid said he's planning to build a vote for hagel later on this week. in other nominations reid seems to be playing air traffic controller. >> we need to get to brennan. we have jack lew. we have cordray and getting that done. >> michael: those are read anything but smooth sailing. we have l. joy williams and joe williams, in case you're wondering they're not related. i thank both williamss for being here. >> so far as we know. >> michael: we got to bond this right away guys. we got to brand it right away. joe, i want to talk to you about chuck hagel main republican senator reportedly, susan collins will reportedly be supporting chuck hagel's nomination and so will kay hagin which is a big thing. she's from north carolina. that could give him the 60 votes that he needs. what are the other hurdles that hagel still faces here? >> well, he has got a bunch of them. lindsey graham is pledging to put a hold on his nomination, something that harry reid has said he won't entertain but that's probably the first battle.

majority leader harry reid says he'll try to force a floor vote as early as this week. some republicans say he'll try to delay hagel's confirmation until after next week's break. but they aren't expected to fully block it. one of hagel's former republican colleagues, indiana's dick lugar, said tuesday it's hagel's politics, not his policy, that got him into trouble. >> senator hagel's main transgression is that he is a republican. who has questioned policies that are sacred among most conservative senators. the intensity of opposition that senator hagel is encountering is grounded in the resentments of some conservatives inside and outside the senate who regard his independent thinking as political blasphemy for which he should not be rewarded. >> that wasn't all lugar had to say. in his first major speech since leaving the u.s. senate the long-time senator said conservatives and the media have combined to bring any hope for legislating to a grinding halt. >> a no compromise vision of conservatism may score points with cob servetive talk show hosts and campaign givers. but in a democrac

israel and iran. senate majority leader harry reid hopes to bring a final vote to the floor when congress goes back in session next monday. >>> residents in coastal new england are cleaning up after yet another blast of winter weather following the big blizzard last weekend. parts of the northeast including massachusetts got up to six inches of snow on sunday. the winter snowstorm then headed north into maine, carrying with it strong, gusty winds and low visibility. here's more on that and our national forecast, nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> a bad storm for new england once again. wind chills negative numbers, 50 mile-per-hour winds. wasn't as bad as the blizzard two weeks ago. now the pattern switches. now the west coast will get a storm. >> the snow was nice. always nice. >> nice to look outside the window for a day, maybe. we have snow heading into areas and even southern california. interesting weather pattern will take shape as a big storm dips down along the west coast, move across the country. pushing into the central plains and much of the intermountain west will get

wednesday evening. first up, the cabinet battles never ends. senate majority leader harry reid announced friday he'll hold a vote to end the discussion on hagels nomination, forcing the hand of those senators who threaten to delay a vote. current senators roy blunt and john cornyn remind me a lot of gum pee muppets and john mccain, who indicated he'd nominate hagel to the same post if he became president are leading the charge. here's senator blunt. >> you think there could be a delay you didn't this week that means 10 days. you say you think there's enough votes, 40 votes to delay. >> my believe is there are 40 votes, not to set that as the permanent standard, that says it's too quick the end the debate on this nomination. michael: it's unbelievable. the more information these senators claim to want is about hagel's financial history. considering that they're the party that otherwise relishes the anonymity of their super pac donors, they seem too interested in where the former republican senator got his money. >> now we're getting word another nominee will be held up. paul and told u.s.

a vote on gun control and it happens to be a democrat by the name of harry reid. >> right, a democrat by the name of harry reid, who has opposed some of the very kind of things that president obama is calling for a vote on this time. so, yeah, i think the president should nudge people in his own party to do the things that he wants them to do. we haven't seen him do it on gun control, certainly didn't see him do it on immigration and never did it on senate budge proposal. >> megyn: she calls it an empty gesture untied to political reality. if you watched that moment, he seemed to be implying that there were lawmakers there and one would assume it was lawmakers on the opposite aisle from the president who are going to stop gabby giffords and other victims of gun violence from getting a vote on this legislation. that's not the reality right now in the u.s. congress. >> you're right and look, anytime the president speaks in a venue like this, he's got several audiences and clearly what he's saying is not for the members of congress in front of him. as you point out. harry reid c

examine his record and views on israel and iran. senate majority leader harry reid hopes to bring a final vote to the floor when congress goes back in session next monday. >>> so residents in coastal new england are cleaning up after yet another blast of winter weather following the big blizzard last weekend. parts of the northeast including massachusetts got up to six inches of snow on sunday. the winter snowstorm then headed north into maine, carrying with it strong, gusty winds and low visibility. with that we bring in nbc meteorologist bill karins with more on the storm plus the national forecast. i am sure you have. >> i'm done -- >> you've been working round the clock. >> some didn't see snow, but some did in north carolina and south carolina. myrtle beach even saw snow. it was the winds that were biting, so cold out there. let me show you the storm. this was just as huge and powerful as the storm the weekend before. this of just a little farther off the coast. that's why we spared areas from new york city, d.c., philly, up there, even most of connecticut didn't see heavy snow

to the point? >> it was the white house and lu and neighbors who went to harry reid and say this is the solution. but everyone has their fingerprints on this. and it is everyone's -- it is the policy and it is law. what is important about it is, travesty.verning trace the idea that you are going to go around and in random ways just cut things. it would be like a family that has to cut the budget saying let's cut the medicine that keeps the children alive. it's stupid. >> chris: kim, having said that it's stupid what are the chances we are actually going to reach march 1 and the sequester, the $85 billion in automatic cuts will kick in and if it does and we begin to see marks reacting and stuff how does it play out with the president insisting there have to be tax hikes on the rich and the republicans saying no, it all needs to come out of spending cuts? >> i think it is likely that we do hit that day and that it comes and the reason why is because the republicans have been asking the white house to come up with some sort of alternative in which you actually prioritize and maybe do s

republicans blocked an up or down simple majority vote planned by harry reid, so tomorrow the majority leader has scheduled a cloture vote, or if we go to the rule video, the only procedure by which the senate can vote to place a time limit on consideration of a bill or other matter and thereby overcome a filibuster. the procedure requires 60 votes, so now democrats will need support from 60 senators just to overcome the filibuster and schedule a vote on chuck hagel. >> there has never in the history of the country been a filibuster of a defense secretary nominee. never. chuck hagel had nothing to do with the attack in benghazi. is that something they need to have on their resume? i filibustered one of the president's nominees. is that what they want? >> senator john mccain who once said he would oppose a filibuster of hagel because it would set "a bad precedent" is changing his tune. he tells "foreign policy magazine" my position right now is that i want an answer to the question. that question totally unrelated to chuck hagel as defense secretary is what president obama was doing during the

not familiar with. got rand paul saying he was going to put a hold on hagel and brennan. harry reid said he's not going to recognize the hold. i think it has to be worked out behind closed doors on capitol hill. my understanding is they're hoping for a hagel vote tomorrow. i know brennan has the votes on the floor to win. it is a question of when it comes up for a vote. >> bill: senator feinstein announcing yesterday or this morning that she is scheduling a vote on john brennan in the senate intelligence committee but not until they come back. they're out next week. for whatever reason, right? valentine's day. i don't know. that's presidents' day week, of course. the week after that, when they come back that she will -- she'll schedule a vote. and then tomorrow, the president is going to -- >> chicago. >> bill: and then to florida too, i believe. >> he's taking a little presidents' day get away in florida over the weekend. before then, he's going to chicago. the topic there is what he calls the ladders the middle class the various programs to help get people jobs and better-paying jobs b

who made that decision. >> dana: a race walker at the capitol is harry reid. >> brian: 1897 is when olympics started and it began with wrestling. it's the ultimate character sport. you can be big or small. you have a place. if they take it away it's going to crush a sport beat up by title 9 in college. >> andrea: as a greek i'm offended they are trying to change the olympics. this is unfortunate for guys training for the olympics for a long time. this will hurt college sports and high school sports. what are you supposed to work toward? if you get rid of the super bowl, the ultimate goal. this is the goal for the guys. this is the wussificaton of the world. >> gregworld. >> bob: you need all these for modern petasiaon, who would you rather watch? >> eric: they took baseball out as well. leave wrestling in. every high school and college in country has a wrestling team. you need a mat. that is all you need. you don't have to have equipment and tons of insurance. >> dana: i think this is a war on short guys. this is a war on shorter guys. and from p.r. perspective, give them advice. do

. >> what now? where does this go? >> it goes to the u.s. senate and i think that harry reid should take it up. most voters do not believe that members of congress, the executive branch officials or the vice president deserve to have any pay increases this year. so it's a common sense measure and saves $11 billion over ten years given our fiscal situation. >> a lot of people look at $11 million over ten years with budgets of 3.5 trillion. it's a spit in the ocean. i understand it's a start but you're about making a statement. that if you're not getting the job done, you shouldn't get paid more for it but nancy pelosi talks about the dignity of your work and that this is essentially undignified. what do you say? >> part of the reason we have to do this is in response to her speakership, frankly. when she was making comments about obamacare that you have to pass the bill to find out what's in it, americans thought that process was undignified. so we're trying to change the way congress is viewed, trying to put ourselves out there, willing to sacrifice to show the american people we don't want

pelosi and harry reid and the president himself have all said in the last few days we don't have a spending problem. this will hurt in places. at the end of the day it's unclear how much people will blame the president or the republicans for what. they think we have a spending problem. >> great thing about everybody wants, thinks ve a revenue problem. spending problem. this is great until it's their thing that got cut. my job or my social security or medicare or whatever the cut is. everybody thinking we have a spending problem until it happens. the cuts come and price to play and then we blame somebody. there is blame on both sides but that is the politics. >> bret: does it happen? >> i think there will be -- we have sequestration. >> does it happen? >> absolutely. we needed presidential leadership for 18 months to avoid this. the president is nowhere, never presented a plan. last week they asked in congress testimony what is the number attached to the president's plan and he said we have never seen a president plan. avoid it. >> thank you. coming up, sig, assigning blamer war cri

. she did it, the same exact thing happened, and when harry reid, back on the republican side, he -- e of them that he demanded to have a 60-vote threshold. john bryson, secretary of commerce, he was required to have a 60-vote. this is not a bill buster, but saying you have to file cloture in order to gt this on the floor for a vote. that's a 60 vote threshold, and, lou, that happens all the time. lieu -- lou: first time was the majority leader's point, and aside from that, you know, i know you all and the senator are fascinated by the arcane rules and procedures which you must observe. for the rest of us who sit out here, you know, in the vast -- the vast rest of this country, we're kind of iterested in whether or not you're pleased with where we are with whether or not you think that hagel was ultimately win con cnfirmation. >> okay. first of all, let me tell you, senator cruz is a new senator. he's on the arms services committee. i'm the ranking member as you pointed out. all he wants is information he asked for for several weeks having to do with speeches that hagel made to foreign